Song of the Week: "Caroline"

"Caroline"

The Velvet Underground

from Squeeze

1973

There are albums derided due to their very existence. Squeeze is one of those albums. These albums are infinitely fascinating to me.

If you take any interest whatsoever in the type of music we listen to here on Puke on Your Birthday, then you probably already know about the Velvet Underground. They were basically a freak-rock band who were not very popular in during their '60s run but over time became somewhat of a "Big Bang" band, influencing all rock music since. They were fronted by Lou Reed, who you may have heard of.

Except, by 1970, Reed wanted out, and quit his own band, soon to be followed by guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker. Since Reed, for all intents and purposes, was the Velvet Underground, it is bizarre to consider that the band could continue without him. And yet, that's what happened. Doug Yule, who didn't even join the band till their third album, acted as captain of this Ship of Theseus in the early 1970s, and even released an album under the Velvet Underground moniker in 1973.

Squeeze is so hated by VU fans that most don't even consider it part of their official discography. But it's this automatic dismissal that intrigues me. Is Squeeze rightly despised, or is it an underrated classic? I finally got myself a copy this week to find out for myself.

And the answer, I guess, is somewhere in the middle. Yes, it does indeed sound like off-brand Velvet Underground, but Yule does a serviceable job of capturing the Loaded-era sound of the band (he even sounds like Lou Reed a little bit!). Removed of its unfavorable context, Squeeze is a very solid early '70s rock album. There are some catchy songs!

Like, check out "Caroline," and tell me that ain't some satisfying shit. It's a rollicking little ditty of a song, complete with faux-Motown backing vocals and a four-measure surf rock guitar solo. Squeeze is chock full of gems like this one. They aren't reinventing the wheel, but they play to the rock 'n' roll canon very competently.

In its actual context though—the fifth of five Velvet Underground albums—where does Squeeze rank? Is it better than the preceding four albums? No, absolutely not, that would be an insane thing to say. But here's an equally insane thing to say that I will absolutely stand by with a gun to my head: Squeeze is better than any Lou Reed solo album. Sometimes you don't need to act cool, you can just make good music.

So yeah, listen to "Caroline," and if you like this, maybe give Squeeze a shot. You might be surprised.